A modified I-90 construction schedule will lessen the impact on Luverne tourism business this summer, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation.
Specifically, ramp closures at the Luverne exit will be delayed until Aug. 16 for the project between Luverne and Beaver Creek from June 14 through early September.
Starting Monday, June 14, westbound I-90 traffic will be shifted to the eastbound lanes, reducing traffic to a single lane with “head to head” travel utilizing existing crossovers east of Luverne and west of Beaver Creek.
Westbound traffic will be able to exit at Highway 75 in Luverne, but the westbound I-90 entrance ramp will be closed starting June 14 for the duration of the project.
To travel west on I-90 from Luverne, motorists take County Road 4 (West Main Street) to Beaver Creek and enter I-90 on the ramp west of Beaver Creek.
About 2 1/2 miles west of Beaver Creek, westbound head-to-head traffic from the eastbound lanes will cross over to rejoin the westbound lanes where construction ends near State Highway 23.
The westbound exit and entrance ramps for Rock County Road 6 at Beaver Creek will be closed starting June 14 for the duration of the project.
When the project details were originally announced May 26, Luverne’s westbound exit and entrance ramps were to be closed all summer.
However, Luverne leaders and Rock County Highway Engineer Mark Sehr worked out a delayed closure at Luverne in order to salvage some summer tourism business from westbound travelers.
“The modifications to the construction project provide more access into Luverne from the beginning of the project until Aug. 16, the end of Sturgis Motorcycle Rally,” said MNDOT District Engineer Greg Ous.
Luverne Mayor Pat Baustian expressed relief on behalf of South Highway 75 businesses looking forward to a post-pandemic rebound from pandemic setbacks.
“This will at least get us through the bulk of family vacation travel and Sturgis,” Baustian said. “This is a much more agreeable schedule.”
The westbound I-90 exit ramp to Highway 75 in Luverne will remain open until Aug. 16. The ramp will close after August 16 and remain closed until the completion of the construction project.
Exit and entrance ramps for eastbound lanes will remain open. Eastbound travelers between Luverne and Highway 23 will be impacted primarily by the two-way traffic configuration.
No detour is anticipated for through traffic on I-90. The traffic detours for the Highway 75 westbound ramps will be:
•Highway 75 in Luverne to westbound I-90: Rock County Road 4, past Beaver Creek to westbound I-90.
•Westbound I-90 to Highway 75 in Luverne (after Aug. 16): Rock County Road 3 at Magnolia to Rock County Road 4 west to Highway 75.
Construction includes resurfacing the existing westbound traffic lanes and ramps, reconstructing shoulders, resurfacing the bridge over Rock County Road 11 and drainage improvements.
PCiRoads, LLC. was awarded the project with a bid of $4,844,421.70.
Project information and a detour map is at https://www.dot.state.mn.us/d7/projects/i90sd-luverne/.